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Sharptooth McPhee
Sharptooth McPhee is a 2005 British-American comedy fantasy film based on the Nurse Matilda character by Christianna Brand. It was directed by Kirk Jones, co-produced by StudioCanal, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Working Title Films, Three Strange Angels, and LBT Productions with music by Patrick Doyle and produced by Lindsay Doran, Tim Bevan, and Eric Fellner. Set in Victorian England, the film stars Emma Thompson as Sharptooth McPhee, along with Colin Firth and Angela Lansbury. The film was theatrically released on 28 October 2005 in the UK by United International Pictures and on 27 January 2006 in the US by Universal Pictures. Thompson also scripted the film, which is adapted from Christianna Brand's Nurse Matilda books. A sequel, Sharptooth McPhee and the Big Bang, was released in 2010. The filming location was Penn House Estate, Penn Street, Buckinghamshire, England, UK. Plot In Great Valley in the 1980s, widowed undertaker Rooter has seven unruly children. He is clumsy and loves his children, but since the death of his wife, has spent little time with them and cannot handle them. The children have had a series of nannies, whom they have systematically driven out by their bad behaviour. They also take great pleasure in tormenting their cook, Mrs. Blatherwick. Besides their father, the only one the children will ever listen to is Littlefoot's Mother, the family's uneducated but sweet-natured scullery maid. One day, Rooter discovers multiple references for a "Sharptooth McPhee" throughout the home. That same night during a storm, the children cause havoc in the kitchen at the same time Cedric sees a shadow behind the door and opens it to reveal a frighteningly hideous woman, who states that she is Sharptooth McPhee and is a "government nanny". With discipline and a little magic, she transforms the family's lives. In the process, she becomes more beautiful each time the children learn a lesson. Her warts and unibrow disappearing, her long tooth and oversized nose shrinking and her wiry greying hair becoming lustrous and auburn. The children, led by the eldest son Simon, try to play their tricks on her, but gradually start to respect her and ask her for advice. They change to responsible people helping their clumsy father in solving the family problems, making Sharptooth McPhee less and less needed. The family is financially supported by Rooter's late wife's domineering and short-sighted Grandpa Longneck, who demands custody over one of the children. She first wants Ruby, one of the daughters, but maid Littlefoot's Mother volunteers and Grandpa Longneck agrees, assuming she is one of the daughters. She also threatens to reduce the family to poverty unless Rooter remarries within the month; the family would lose the house, and they would not be able to stay together. Desperate, Rooter turns to a vile and frequent widow, Daddy Topps. The children assume from reading books of fairy-tales that all stepfathers are terrible dino dad who treat their stepchildren like slaves; therefore they sabotage a visit of Daddy Topps, who leaves, angry at Rooter. After the financial rationale for the marriage is explained to the children; they agree to the marriage, and appease Daddy Topps by confessing they were to blame for the disturbance of her visit, luring her back to their father with tales of their Great Grandpa Longneck's wealth. However, the children soon discover that Daddy Topps is just as cruel and awful as any fairytale stepfather when she breaks Chomper's beloved bone (which previously belonged to their late mother, and was the only thing they had left of her). When everybody is gathered for the wedding ceremony, they disturb the ceremony by pretending there are bees (inspired by the way Daddy Topps told them to "behave" and Chomper repeating the word, but pronouncing it as "beehive"), chasing the guests, and starting a food fight using the pastries intended for the banquet. Rooter swiftly understands that they do not like the bride and, recognising that he does not like her either, joins in the commotion himself. Daddy Topps cancels the marriage and storms off in anger. This seems to mean that Adelaide's marriage deadline is missed, but Ducky asks Littlefoot's Mother whether she loves Rooter. She first denies, explaining that it would be inappropriate because of her role as a scullery maid, but then confirms she does. Rooter, who loves Littlefoot's Mother back, marries Littlefoot's Mother then and there, satisfying Grandpa Longneck's conditions for maintaining his allowance; and Sharptooth McPhee (who is now beautiful), magically makes it snow in August, which transforms the wedding scene and changes Littlefoot's Mother's clothes into a beautiful wedding dress, and restores the children's late mother's bone for them. Sharptooth McPhee leaves surreptitiously, in accordance with what she told the children before on her first night: "When you need me, but do not want me, then I must stay. When you want me, but no longer need me, then I have to go". Cast * Emma Thompson as Sharptooth McPhee * Colin Firth as Rooter, an undertaker and the widowed patriarch of the family. * Thomas Sangster as Littlefoot, the eldest of the children. * Kelly Macdonald as Littlefoot's Mother, the Browns' scullery maid, who dreams of being an educated lady. * Angela Lansbury as Grandpa Longneck, the aunt of Rooter's late wife and the family's primary financial support. * Eliza Bennett as Cera. * Raphaël Coleman as Spike. * Jennifer Rae Daykin as Ducky. * Samuel Honywood as Petrie. * Holly Gibbs as Ruby. * Hebe and Zinnia Barnes play Chomper, the youngest of the children. ** Freya Fumic as the voice of Chomper. * Celia Imrie as Daddy Topps, a frequent widow that Rooter intends to marry to appease Grandpa Longneck. * Imelda Staunton as Mama Swimmer, military-minded cook. * Sir Derek Jacobi as Ozzy, one of Rooter's co-workers. * Patrick Barlow as Strut, one of Rooter's co-workers. * Adam Godley as Mr. Threehorn. Production On 11 March 2002 Kirk Jones was hired and set to direct Sharptooth McPhee based on Nurse Matilda by Christianna Brand. Emma Thompson wrote the script for the film. Lindsay Doran, Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner produced the film with the budget of $25 million for release in 2005. On 22 April it was announced that Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, Thomas Sangster, Kelly Macdonald, Angela Lansbury, Eliza Bennett, Jennifer Rae Daykin, Raphaël Coleman, Samuel Honywood, Holly Gibbs, Celia Imrie, Imelda Staunton, Sir Derek Jacobi, Patrick Barlow and Adam Godley joined the film. On 16 May it was announced that Patrick Doyle would compose the music for the film. Development of the film was completed in Dorset, England. Filming ran April 1 - July 9, 2004. The film reunites Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, Thomas Sangster and Adam Godley who all previously starred in the 2003 film Love Actually. Videos These Videos Are In Courtesy Of Universal Studios Release The film was theatrically released on 28 October 2005 in the UK by United International Pictures and on 27 January 2006 in the US by Universal Pictures and was released on DVD on 9 May 2006 by Universal Studios Home Entertainment. Reception Critical response Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives Nanny McPhee a score of 73% based on 134 reviews, a rating deemed Certified "Fresh" with an average rating of 6.7/10 with the consensus reading, "A bit alarming at first, Sharptooth McPhee has a hard edge to counter Mary Poppins-style sweetness, but it still charms us and teaches some valuable lessons."2 Box office The film did well at the box office, earning $122,489,822 - $47,144,110 in the United States and $75,345,712 elsewhere. It premiered in the United States on 27 January 2006 with an opening weekend total of $14,503,650 in 1,995 theatres (an average of $7,270 per theatre) ranking at No. 2 (behind the Martin Lawrence film Big Momma's House 2).1 Sequel Emma Thompson revealed on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross that two more films were planned. The second film, Sharptooth McPhee and the Big Bang (also called Sharptooth McPhee Returns), was released in March 2010. It co-stars Rhys Ifans, Maggie Smith, Ralph Fiennes and Maggie Gyllenhaal. The character of Chomper returns as the now elderly Mrs. Docherty. In it, Sharptooth McPhee takes charge of the children of a woman whose husband has gone to war.3 A third film was planned to be set in modern-day England but, despite taking $93 million at the box-office, the sequel under-performed to studio expectations and plans were cancelled for future films.4 References # ^ Jump up to:a'' ''b c # ^''' Sharptooth McPhee at Rotten Tomatoes # '''^ Sharptooth McPhee Returns on ComingSoon.net. Retrieved 16 January 2010. # ^ "Emma Thompson Says There Won't Be a 'Sharptooth McPhee 3' - Movies With Butter". Retrieved 4 October 2014. Category:2005 films Category:English-language films Category:Fantasy comedy film Category:2000s children's fantasy films Category:Universal Pictures films Category:British films Category:Land Before Time Movies Category:British fantasy films Category:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films